Handling of Freedom of Information Requests

The request was successful.

Dear Charity Commission for Northern Ireland,

I note that you have recently rejected a number of Freedom of Information requests as either invalid through the use of a pseudonym, or vexatious.

Could you please provide the following information:

1) The total number of FOI / EIR requests received since 1 January 2013;

2) The number which were refused - in full or in part - and on which grounds (specifying the relevant section of the Act or Regulations):

3) The number which were not answered within the period allowed by the legislation;

4) The number which are still outstanding;

5) Copies of all internal correspondence (including emails, texts etc), regarding those requests which have been refused as vexatious or invalid.

I would like this information in electronic format (preferably as a PDF).

Yours faithfully,

Rodney Breen

Kernan, Shirley, Charity Commission for Northern Ireland

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Breen

 

I would like to acknowledge receipt of your email, which was received by
the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland on Monday 9 June 2014,
requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

 

We aim to respond to all Freedom of Information requests within 20 working
days. We will let you know if this time needs to be extended for any
reason.

 

Kind regards

 

Shirley Kernan

Communications Officer

                     

Charity Commission for Northern Ireland

257 Lough Road

Lurgan

BT66 6NQ  

[1]www.charitycommissionni.org.uk

 

The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland has launched a public
consultation on its Participation strategy, find out more at
[2]www.charitycommissionni.org.uk

 

 

 

Follow us on Twitter [3]@CharityCommNI

 

This email is from the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.  It
contains information which is confidential and which may be privileged or
subject to public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the Charity Commission for Northern
Ireland. It is for the exclusive use of the intended recipient.

 

Any dissemination, distribution, copying or use of this communication or
any attachment to it without prior permission of the addressee is strictly
prohibited.  If you have received it in error please inform us by email,
phone or fax (The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, 257 Lough
Road,, Lurgan, BT66 6NQ; telephone 028 3832 0220; fax 028 3834 5943;
textphone 028 3834 7639: email [4][CCNI request email]; web
[5]www.charitycommissionni.org.uk ) then delete it from your system

 

While the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland has taken reasonable
precaution to minimise the risk of any attachment to this email containing
computer viruses, we can not accept any liability for any damage which you
sustain as a result of any such viruses.  You should carry out your own
virus checks before you open this document.

 

 

 

References

Visible links
1. http://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/
2. http://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/
3. https://twitter.com/CharityCommNI
4. mailto:[CCNI request email]
5. http://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/

Kernan, Shirley, Charity Commission for Northern Ireland

5 Attachments

Ref: FOI20140609

                                                           

Dear Mr Breen

 

Thank you for your freedom of information request which was received by
the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland via email on 9 June 2014.

 

Your request, which has been considered in accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (FOIA), asked the Commission to provide:

 

“1) The total number of FOI / EIR requests received since 1 January 2013;

 

2) The number which were refused - in full or in part - and on which
grounds (specifying the relevant section of the Act or Regulations):

 

3) The number which were not answered within the period allowed by the
legislation;

 

4) The number which are still outstanding;

 

5) Copies of all internal correspondence (including emails, texts etc),
regarding those requests which have been refused as vexatious or invalid.”

 

In response to requests 1 to 4, please find attached in document
FOI20140609 PDF A, the requested information on FOI requests received by
the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland between 1 January 2013 and 9
June 2014 (the date of your request).

 

The Commission did not receive any EIR requests between 1 January 2013 and
9 June 2014.

 

In relation to request 5, which asks for copies of all internal
correspondence (including emails, texts etc), regarding those requests
which have been refused as vexatious, please see the Commission’s response
below. 

 

The Commission holds a range of recorded information in relation to the
receipt, consideration and analysis of two requests which the Commission
refused as vexatious in accordance with section 14(1) of the FOIA.

 

The Commission has considered your request, alongside the FOIA and the
information held, which the Commission considers to be personal data of a
third party. The Commission assert that public disclosure of the requested
information would contravene the first data protection principle, as set
out under Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 1998, and is therefore
exempt under section 40(2) and (3) of the FOIA.

 

In relation to request 5, which asks for copies of all internal
correspondence (including emails, texts etc), regarding those requests
which have been refused as invalid, please see the Commission’s response
below. 

 

The Commission holds a range of recorded information in relation to the
receipt, consideration and analysis of four requests which the Commission
refused as invalid on the grounds that they believed a pseudonym had been
used. The Commission also holds recorded information in relation to an
internal review the Commission undertook into its handling of the four
requests.

 

Please see all recorded information held by the Commission in relation to
the requests in the attached documents, FOI20140609 PDF B and FOI20140609
PDF C. Please note that information held within the documents which relate
to the personal data of third parties, and which has not previously been
made public in other forums, has been redacted.

 

If you are not satisfied with the decision to withhold information, as
outlined above, you have the right to have this decision reviewed
internally. If you wish to have this decision reviewed in this instance
please contact:

 

Aubrey McCrory

Head of Corporate Services

Charity Commission for Northern Ireland

257 Lough Road

Lurgan

Co Armagh

BT66 6NQ

 

If you are not satisfied with the decision to withhold information, you
have the right of appeal to the Information Commissioner’s Office:

Information Commissioner's Office

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF

 

Kind regards

 

Shirley Kernan

Communications Officer

                     

Charity Commission for Northern Ireland

257 Lough Road

Lurgan

BT66 6NQ  

                    

[1]www.charitycommissionni.org.uk

 

 

[2]cid:image001.png@01CF99BA.BFD3A880[3]cid:image002.png@01CF99BA.BFD3A880

 

Follow us on Twitter [4]@CharityCommNI

 

This email is from the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.  It
contains information which is confidential and which may be privileged or
subject to public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the Charity Commission for Northern
Ireland. It is for the exclusive use of the intended recipient.

 

Any dissemination, distribution, copying or use of this communication or
any attachment to it without prior permission of the addressee is strictly
prohibited.  If you have received it in error please inform us by email,
phone or fax (The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, 257 Lough
Road,, Lurgan, BT66 6NQ; telephone 028 3832 0220; fax 028 3834 5943;
textphone 028 3834 7639: email [5][CCNI request email]; web
[6]www.charitycommissionni.org.uk ) then delete it from your system

 

While the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland has taken reasonable
precaution to minimise the risk of any attachment to this email containing
computer viruses, we can not accept any liability for any damage which you
sustain as a result of any such viruses.  You should carry out your own
virus checks before you open this document.

 

 

 

References

Visible links
1. http://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/
4. https://twitter.com/CharityCommNI
5. mailto:[CCNI request email]
6. http://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/